Device for expanding shallow cup plugs in fiber container openings



Nov. 6, 1956 DEVICE FOR EX IN 0r].

5. COX. JR

PA DING SHALLOW CUP PLUGS FIBER CONTAINER OPENINGS 'ginal Filed Dec. 10, 1951 [Ni/EH70? HERBERT E BIJXJR BY ATT DENEY'.

United States Patent DEVICE FOR EXPANDING SHALLOW CUP PLUGS IN FIBER CONTAINER OPENINGS Herbert F. Cox, Jr., Syracuse, N. Y.

3 Claims. (Cl. 53330) The present invention relates in general to machines for filling liquid fibrous containers, and more particularly to can closing apparatus used in conjunction with such machines, such apparatus being adapted for expanding a fibrous plug cap within the filling aperture of such containers immediately after filling. The invention has been divided from my application Serial No. 260,873, filed December 10, 1951, in Which a machine of the type generally referred to is disclosed.

In apparatus heretofore employed in this connection, provision has been made for expanding a plug cap inserted into a carton top wall aperture immediately underneath the wall. Such expanders have stretched the fibres of the plug, but have in general failed to upset the fibres, whereby to permanently enlarge the plug cap diameter beneath the wall and thereby avoid possible springback. In order to overcome the danger of the fibre resiliency tending to spring back after the expander is removed, the present invention is directed to apparatus adapted to iron'and upset the fibres at diametrically opposed points whereby the cap, immediately beneath the top wall, is to a degree upset and permanently enlarged, with the result that the cap may not be'removed until forcefully pulled from its aperture in which his seated.

The invention further has to do with the provision of asymmetrical toggle acting expander which, when set against the cap bottom, is caused to rotate to provide an ironing effect whilev exerting diametrically opposed pressure on the cap side Wall immediately below the aperture'in which it is inserted, such pressure being concentrated at a plurality of diametrically opposed or circumferentially spaced points, which pressure points are rotated through. an arc sufiicient to expand the entire circumference of the cap wall beneath the aperture. The invention furthe'rhas to do with a toggle-like expander which immediately releases from within the expanded groove within the cap by the parts thereof hinging together on a diarnetral axis.

The above and other novel features of the invention will appear more fully. hereinafter from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is expressly understood that the drawings .areemployed for purposes of illustration only and are not. designed as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claims. 7

- In-the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a sectional view taken through the cap closing and expanding mechanism;

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, and showing the spiral ways and followers;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the cap expanding toggle taken substantially on the line 33 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 3;

"ice

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the path of the expander toggle members, taken substantially on the line 5--5'of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevational view of the expander members in operative position; and

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the top construction of a container adapted for use in conjunction with the apparatus.

In Figure 7.is shown a typical fibre carton having a top wall 9 with an aperture, into which is inserted a hinged fibrous plug 11, the plug proper beinga shallow cup having a wall 90 adapted to closely fit within an aperture 7 (see Figure l) in the top wall of the carton.

In the drawings, the cap closure mechanism is shown as mounted on a post projecting upward from the base structure, which structure also includes mechanism for placing containers, one at a time in sequence, beneath the cap closure mechanism. Mounted on the post 12 is a bracket 14 having an upwardly extending cylindrical guide sleeve 16 with a power cylinder 18 secured exteriorly thereof with its axis in parallel relation to the guide sleeve. Within the guide sleeve is a telescopically disposed sleeve 20 connected by a tie bar 22 to the piston rod 24 of the power cylinder 18. Within the telescopic sleeve 20 is slidably arranged an actuating bar 26 having an elongated collar 28 positioned thereon. Such collar is provided with a plurality of helical grooves 30 on its outer cylindrical surface in which ride stationary blocks 32, such blocks being formed heads on pins 34 positioned in radial apertures 36 in the sleeve 20. The upper shank 38 of the bar 26 is slidably guided in an internal annular shoulder 46. A coil spring 42 bearing against the shoulder 40, and a thrust bearing 44 urges such bar downwardly with respect to the telescopic sleeve 20. The upper end or" the bar is provided with a nut 46 and stop washer 48 adapted to engage the annular shoulder 40 to limit the downward relative movement between the bar 26 and the sleeve 20.

The lower end of the bar 50 projects freely through an aperture 52 in the base of the bracket 14, there being provided in a shouldered annular recess 54 a seal 56 between the bar and the bracket. An annular shoulder 58 immediately above the seal and the bracket 14 is provided with a ball bearing 60 adapted to act in thrust as well. as radially. The lower end 50 of the bar 26 is adapted to freely slide through the inner ring 62 of such bearing, and upon the shoulder end 64 of the elongated collar 28 engaging the inner bearing ring 62, the downward movement of the bar 26 is arrested. Movement of the bar downwardly is effected by movement of the telescopic sleeve 20, such sleeve transmitting downward movement to the bar through the coil spring 42. When the shoulder 64 engages the bearing ring 62, and the further movement of the bar downward is arrested, further movement of the sleeve 20 results in rotation of the bar 26 by reason of the relative movement therebetween, and engagement of the cam blocks 32 in the helical grooves 30.

The lower end of the bar is cut away as at 70 to provide spaced depending arms 72 and 74 between which are pivotally mounted toggle members 76 and 78. Such toggle members are freely pivoted upon a transverse pin 80. Each of the toggle members is provided with a broad tongue 82 and 84, adapted to normally hang in the position indicated in Figures 1 and 4, when in inoperative position, the beveled edges 83 and 85 engaging each other as stops.

The toggle members tongues, when in the inoperative position shown in Figures 1 and 4, define a rectangular area sufliciently small to be freely received in the circular recess of the cap which is to be projected through the top aperture in the operation of closing and sealing the container. The tongues, however, upon engaging the circular surface of the cap, push the cap into the aperture and are caused to spread to form a substantially square expanding mechanism, the diagonal dimension of which is sufliciently great so as to expand the shallow cup-like side wall 25 of the cap underneath the marginal edge of the hole 7 1n the top of the container. (See Figure 6.) As has been pointed out in connection with the construction of the bar 2d and its associated actuating mechanism, such bar, upon moving downward to the point where the shoulder 64 engages the bearing ring 62, is limited in its further movement, and the togglesupported tongue members are adapted to be expanded to the outline 86 shown in Figure by such movement, and their engagement with the cap. Fiu'ther movement of the sleeve Zti acts to rotate the bar 26 by reason of the helical grooves 3t}, causing the tongue members to rotate within the cap with the rounded corners 83 acting to expand the shallow cup-like wall 9%? of the cap beneath the container top at all points, since rotation of the bar takes place through an angle of at least 90. Upon the reverse movement of the sleeve 20, the bar may, if desired, by reason of the pressure of the spring 24, immediately rotate back to its original position and thereafter be lifted clear of the cap, the tongues returning to the position shown in Figure 4 as soon as the bar commences to lift away from the container.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the pressure points or rounded corners 88 of one of the tongue members diametrically oppose like rounded corners on the other tongue member, and that through rotation of 90, an ironing fibre upsetting action takes place over the entire circumference of the plug wall 90, upsetting it to the shape indicated at 25 (see Figure 6). In practice, a succession of filled cartons will be moved one at a time into position, and there held in proper relation as on a support 91, while the sleeve 20 is moved downward through its entire stroke. The initial portion of such stroke is adapted to expand the toggle tongues so as to lie in flat engagement against the plug bottom, it being understood that each carton is supported in correct relation to the expander mechanism so that-when the shoulder 64 engages the thrust bearing 62, the toggle tongues are expanded flat in the position shown in Figure 4. Thereafter, the remainder portion of said stroke is adapted to rotate the tongues to produce the ironing effect. While hydraulic means is shown as adapted to actuate the mechanism, any equivalent actuation may be employed.

While a single embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. As various changes in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, reference will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention,

What is claimed is:

1. -In a cap closing device for fiat-top fiber containers having a top filling opening, and a fiber cap mounted adjacent said opening with a shallow cup plug formed therein aligned for projection into the opening, a bracket, a plunger slidingly and rotatably mounted in said bracket, means for imparting limited sliding movement to said plunger and subsequent rotation thereto, toggle members carried by said plunger having tongues depending .oppositely with the planes of the tongues disposed at a substantial angle from the axis of the plunger, said tongues being adapted for spreading upon engagement with the bottom of a cup plug with said tongues extending oppositely and lying in a common plane transverse of the axis of said plunger, said tongues having diametrically opposed surfaces adapted to engage the side wall of a shallow cup plug when expanded, and adapted upon rotation of said plunger to expand the side wall of the plug beneath and beyond the marginal edge .of a filling opening through which the plug is projected.

2. In a cap closing device for fiat top fiber containers having a top filling opening and a fibrous cap hinged on the top adjacent said opening with a shallow cup plug formed therein aligned for projection into the opening, a bracket, a sleeve slidable in said bracket, power means for sliding said sleeve in said bracket, a plunger slidably and rotatably mounted in said sleeve, spiral cam means carried by said sleeve and plunger for rotating said plunger relative to said sleeve on relative sliding movement therebetween, means for yieldingly moving said plunger upon movement of said sleeve means to limit the sliding movement of said plunger in one direction whereby to rotate said plunger by relative movement between said sleeve and plunger, and toggle members carried by said plunger adapted to engage the end wall of a shallow cup plug and project the cup plug through an aligned filling opening and thereafter expand into engagement with the shallow side wall thereof upon said plunger engaging said limit means, said plunger upon rotation being adapted to rotate said toggle members in expanded position against the shallow side wall of the plug member to expand the side wall beneath and beyond the margin of the container opening.

3.1m a cap closing device for fiber containers provided with a cap having a shallow fiber cup plug adapted for expanding beneath the marginal edge of the container filling hole, a bracket having a cylindrical guideway provided with an internal end shoulder and guide aperture, a sleeve slidably positioned in said guideway, fluid pressure means mounted on said bracket and adapted to actuate said sleeve, a plunger slidably and rotatably mounted in said sleeve and having an end projecting through said aperture, a thrust bearing on said shoulder, a shoulder on said plunger adapted to engage said thrust bearing to limit sliding movement thereof, spiral cam means carried by said sleeve and plunger adapted to impart rotary movement to said plunger upon relative movement of said plunger relative to said sleeve in a direction toward said thrust bearing, and resilient means acting between said sleeve and plunger for biasing said plunger against movement relative to the sleeve in an opposite direction, and toggle expanding means carried on the end of said plunger having tongues adapted to expand and rotatably engage the shallow side wall of a plug cap for expanding the wall diameter thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,212,209 Gruver Jan. 16, 1917 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,887 Great Britain Oct. 2, 1905 "159,189 Germany Mar. 17, 1905 

